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History

Giorgio Lalov, Artistic Director

History and Highlights of
10 Seasons of American Tour Reviews
  

Teatro Lirico D’Europa was created in 1988 by the late Yves Josse, a former ballet divo and brilliant French arts promoter, and Giorgio Lalov, a young Bulgarian opera singer who made his debut at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, at the age of 25 while participating in Scala’s famous international training program for young singers. The collaboration between Josse and Lalov was a huge success in a very short time, resulting in tours with over 250 performances a season throughout France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal.

Lalov created the sets and costumes for the productions and organized the chorus and orchestra in Bulgaria. He drew soloists for the productions from a huge reservoir of operatic talent in Bulgaria, central Europe and the United States. Josse booked the performances for the company from his office in Paris. From the very beginning, the company established itself as highly competent in delivering traditional, full-scale productions featuring a large orchestra and chorus, and mature opera singers. The unusual chemistry of the company proved to be very popular with European audiences. Teatro Lirico D’Europa had completed over 2000 performances worldwide at the time of Josse’s passing in 1995. The death of Josse was a great loss. He was a gifted person who could never be replaced. His talent could never be duplicated.

But 1995 marked a new beginning for Teatro Lirico D’Europa with the birth of Lalov’s American son Christian. Lalov shifted his focus from touring in Europe, to touring in the United States, where he now lives with his wife, former opera singer and creator of International Classic Artists Mgmt., (now JENNY KELLY PRODUCTIONS) Jenny L. Kelly.

Teatro Lirico D'Europa had developed a firm history of success with a portfolio of hundreds of rave reviews for full-scale opera productions that had been presented all over Europe, in theaters and at important international festivals, as well as a collection of outstanding live CD recordings. Lalov's wife, Jenny Kelly, organized the materials and began to make offers to theaters in the United States. By winter 2000, she had booked the first major American tour for the company. The response to the debut tour from both press and theater management was very positive indeed. The February 2002 issue of OPERA NEWS presented a four-page article on Teatro Lirico D'Europa written by former BOSTON GLOBE opera critic Richard Dyer that stated:

"In the past couple of years the company has presented TURANDOT, AIDA and NABUCCO in Boston. The physical productions and Lalov's stagings were reassuringly traditional. Lalov's stagings tell the story clearly. The solo and ensemble singing in all three operas was lusty, whole hearted-full throated and honest. Something personal and passionate that is often missing from evenings of opera." 
OPERA NEWS - Richard Dyer – Feb. 2002

Teatro Lirico D'Europa embarks on its 11th consecutive season of U.S. tours in Fall 2009 - Winter/Spring 2010 with performances of six different full-scale operas: Rossini’s IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, Mozart’s DON GIOVANNI and LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Verdi’s RIGOLETTO and LA TRAVIATA, Lehar’s DIE FLEDERMAUS and Puccini’s LA BOHEME. There will be many new soloists on the tour as well as many of the soloists that Teatro’s audiences have come to love and look forward to.

About GIORGIO LALOV, co-founder of Teatro Lirico D'Europa and current general manager/artistic director

Gueorgui Lalov (Giorgio) was born in Telesh, Bulgaria, in 1958. His father Lalo, a doctor, and his mother, Stoyanka Kostadinova, an elementary school teacher and Bulgarian folk singer, were educated patrons of the arts. Although his father died when he was just nine years old, Giorgio was accepted at an elite boarding school in the capital city of Bulgaria, where all the lessons were taught in French. When he graduated from high school in 1976, he was fluent in French and English.That fall he entered the Bulgarian National Academy of Music and went on tour in Italy with a choir from the University. While in Milan, he auditioned for and was accepted at the International School for Young Opera Singers at La Scala where he went on to make his debut at the age of 25. After living in Italy for a short time, Lalov, became fluent in Italian.

In 1986, while on tour with a small opera company in France, Lalov met his future business partner, Yves Josse, a former ballet divo who was booking opera and ballet tours. Giorgio had many resources. He spoke several languages, could organize the creation of sets and costumes in Bulgaria and could put together an excellent orchestra and chorus. He knew many fine opera singers in Bulgaria, central Europe, and the United States. By 1988 Josse and Lalov were collaborating on what was to become the most successful opera touring company in Europe. At the time of Josse's death in 1995, Teatro Lirico was performing over 250 shows a season throughout eight different countries in central Europe. Winter 2000 marked Teatro Lirico’s first major American tour. The rest is history. The reviews from the American tours completed thus far speak for the quality and consistency of the company that has now completed ten major U.S. tours that include performances at 103 different venues,

"I'm not alone in hoping that Giorgio Lalov, the talented singer turned creator of Teatro Lirico D'Europa stays well, healthy and continues to bring us such magnificent productions. We can only hope to see more from this company in years to come." ILLINOIS TIMES - Ann Kerr

Photos of all of the reviewed productions can be found at our Web site: www.jennykellyproductions.com as well as live video clip highlights from most of the productions

The exclusive U.S. booking agent for
Teatro Lirico D’Europa is JENNY L. KELLY
 WORLD CLASSICAL PERFORMING ARTS SOCIETY, INC.
723 Weil Mandel Way
Cockeysville, MD 21030
Ph: 410-419-4344

JennyLalov@aol.com/jkproductions@comcast.net

World Classical Performing Arts Society (formerly Jenny Kelly Productions) was created by Jenny L. Kelly, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and former opera singer who completed training and degrees in vocal performance and opera at the Peabody Preparatory of Baltimore, the Westminster Choir College of Princeton, New Jersey, the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts, and Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts. Ms. Kelly was a top prizewinner in many national and international opera competitions, including the Belvedere International Opera Competition in Vienna, Austria, the Palm Beach Opera Competition, the Baltimore National Opera Competition, and the Luciano Pavarotti International Opera Competition. Ms. Kelly was also the winner of numerous scholarship awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Miss America Scholarship Pageant Foundation.

After completing over 300 performances of major roles in operas throughout Europe and the United States, Ms. Kelly married Bulgarian opera impresario Giorgio Lalov in August 1993. After the birth of their son in 1995, she created the American agency and has since that time booked:

  • Eleven consecutive seasons of major American tours for Teatro Lirico D'Europa, the popular European opera touring company that has completed over 3,000 performances worldwide including over 400 performances inside the United States;
  • Seven consecutive seasons of U.S. tours for Mozart Festival Opera, the sister company of Teatro Lirico D’Europa, that made its U.S. debut in fall 2003;
  • Two seasons of U.S. tours for Czech Opera Prague (fall 2005/winter 2006 and fall 2007/winter 2008);
  • Four U.S. tours for The Russian National Ballet Theatre and Orchestra (spring 2005, spring 2007 and spring 2008). This Company began touring as Moiseev Russian Classical Ballet beginning spring 2008;
  • The U.S. debut tour of Bulgaria’s Ballet Arabesk performing CARMINA BURANA/BOLERO with full live orchestra and chorus (season 2005-2006);

and

  • Jenny Kelly has never had to cancel any tour or any performance on any tour that she has booked in 10 consecutive seasons of U.S. tours!

 

 

   
 
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